Golf-practicing apparatus



June 16, 1925.

H. R. CEEVER GOLF PRAOTIGING APPARATUS mac! Feb. 20. 1922 Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES HENRY R. CEE'VEB, 0F ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA.

GOLF-PBACTICING APPARATUS.

Application filed February 20, 1922. Serial No. 537,911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. HENRY R. CEEVER, a citizen of the Republic of Poland, and residing near the city of St. Augustine, county of St. Johns, State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements in Golf- Practicing Apparatus.

My invention relates to force and motion recording apparatus comprising a body adapted to serve as a missile as well as devices for gaging and recording the movements of such body under an imparted acceleration. The end in view is to provide a device comprising a captive missile, preferably of a conventional shape-like a golf ball for inst., in combination with a device adapted to draw automatically on a suitable surface a diminutive representation of a track such missile would have taken under a given acceleration, if free to move.

I attain my end in view mainly by providing a drawing instrument adapted to be set in motion, more or less directly by the limited movement of the captive missile.

It is not claimed however that such end in view is attained with strict accuracy. But, if the parts of the device described below are properly coordinated and well balanced a high degree of accuracy can be attained, so as to make the apparatus sufliciently interesting from this point of view.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which corresponding parts are denoted by similar numerals, Fig. 1 represents a front view of such apparatus, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same on the line a-z, Fig. 3 is a top view of the upper part of it. Fig. 4 is a top view of the lower or base part of the same. Fig. 5 represents such apparatus in a somewhat diflerent form. Fig. 6 is a side view of the same. In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown another variation of such apparatus, Fig. 7 being a front view and Fig. 8 a side view of the same. In Fig. 9 is shown a chart with a flight curve.

In Fig. 1, 1 denotes a captive missile. 2 is a segment of a platform on which said missile normally rests. 3 is a base underneath the platform at a suitable distance. 4' and 4" are upright posts at each side of the base. 5 is an elastic band or any form of band adapted to increase its length between the posts, 4. 6 and 6" are clamps holdin down the ends of said band to the tops 0 the posts. 7 is a grooved member, preferably a pulley, normally restlng on the base and adapted to receive band 5, as shown in particular in Fig. 4. 8 is a connecting means, preferably of flexible material, between the missile, 1 and pulley, 7 9 forming the lower part of the connector is in the form of a clamp or a bracket adapted to hold axle 10 on which said pulley is rotatably mounted. 11 is a fixed surface of suitable material on which the pointed end of axle 10 normally rests. The operation of the device described is as follows: When an acceleration is imparted to captive missile 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow the flight of the same will be as indicated by 1 and 1; pulley 6 will be dragged behind it in a parallel path, forcing elastic band 5 out of position in a manner indicated by broken lines 5. It will be seen that, while this band will form two straight lines in any positionfiof the missile during its flight, the path of the pulley 6 with its axle 10 will be a curve as indicated by dotted line a. The size and outline of such path, depending on the force and direction (more or less vertical) of the acceleration imparted to the missile, will be a fairly close approximation to a flightcurve of a similar missile in a free flight under a similar acceleration. It is clear that a visible track on surface 11 can be obtained if axle 10 is provided with an inkcarrying point or made of a suitable tracing material, like a pencil for inst. If the surface is crosslined to a certain scale, as indicated in Fig. 9, the dimensions of the curve can easily be read off. Such readings can serve as a pretty accurate measure for the force of acceleration imparted to the missile and can also give an estimate of the height and distance such missile would have attained in a free flight under such acceleration.

In Fi 5 and 6 is shown a device wherein a fli t curve of a captive missile is obtained in a more indirect way. 1 in these figures denotes the captive missile secured to the free end of arm 12, which is in rigid connection, preferably at a right angle, with axle 13. 14 and 15 are fixed bearings carrying axle 13. 16 is an electromagnetic machine-magneto or dynamo, the armature of which is carried by axle 13. This is shown in the drawings by the dotted outline 17. 18 and 18 are terminals of the magneto. 19 is a circuit comprising electromagnet 20. 21 denotes a device visibly or audibly reacting to a current passed through this circuit. Such instrument may be a voltmeter, lamp or bell, etc. 22 is the plunger of the electromagnet. 23 is a rod secured 'to one end of the same. 24: is a tracing tool carried by the rod, 25 is a traveling band otlering a suitable surface for a visible mark or track to be drawn by the complementary movements of said band and tracing instrument.

The operation of this device is clear: A blow at missile I in av direction indicated by the arrow will cause a rotary movement of the same. bringing also arn'iature 17 into rotation. The current induced by this in circuit 19 will be proportionate to the speed and duration of rotation of the missile. The upward and downward travel of plunger will be in the same proportion, and the resulting curve on traveling band 25 will be similar to a flightcurve of the missile.

In Figs. 7 and S is shown a device which may be used as an attachment to that depicted in Figs. 5 and 6 or may serve as an apparatus by itself. In these figures 13 denotes an extension oi? axle 13 in Figs. 5 and 6. is a fixed plate. 27 is a groove or slot running longitudinally from the top to the bottom of said plate. 28 is a rod littiug in the groove and adapted to slide up and down within it. 29 is a clutch carried by the axle l3 engaging with an appropriate pressure rod 28. At 30 is indirated by a number of strokes that the face of the plate is subdivided into a scale adapted to indicate the length of travel of the rod. 3i is'a wire leading from a source of el ctricity. 32 is the return wire. is an instrument within this circuit adapted to respond to a current. 352 and 31 are terminals of this circuit, which is normally open. but adapted to be closed when rod 28 travels up to a suliicient height to come in contact with the terminals.

The operation of this device is as follows: lVheu axlc 3 is brought into rotation by a blow at missile 1 clutch 29 will cause rod 528 to travel upward. The length of such travel, indicated by the scale, will clearly be a measure for the t'orceo't acceleration imparted to the missile. It is also clear that if a tracing-device is attached to rod 25) a graphic representation of its movements may be obtained on a traveling-band in a similar manner as described in connec tion with Figs. 5 and 6.

That I claim is:

1. In apparatus described fixed points horizontally distanced from each other, a curvable guide, adapted to vary its length under varying stresses, extending from one of said points to the other, and a projectile in combination with a member adapted to slide along said guide and to vary the length and outline of the same in the course of a flight of the projectile.

In apparatus described fixed points horizontally disposed with respect to each other a yielding strip stretched between said points and secured to the latter, a body adapted to serve as a projectile in combination with a tracing device provided with means adapted to slidingly engage said strip, and a surface adapted to receive a track from said tracing device, when the latter is set in motion due to an :lCt'Qltl'ittion imparted to said projectile.

3. In apparatus described fixed points horizontally distanced from each other a. curvable guide extending from one of said points to the other, a member adapted to slidably engage the guide, and a body in association with said member adapted to be used as a projectile and to serve as a means oi varying the length and outline of said guide between the fixed points, in the course of a flight. In apparatus described a yielding guide, a projectile captive to the same, so as to be permitted to follow.

4. The laws of acceleration and gravitation in a limited flight describing a curve re sen'ibling in form a tlightcurve obtainable under free flight conditions, a tracing device in combination with said projectile adaptedto follow the movements of the same and a suitable surface adapted toreceive a visible record of such movements.

HENRY R. CEEVER. 

